irrigate
verb
ir·ri·gate
ˈir-ə-ˌgāt 
irrigated; irrigating
1
2
: to refresh as if by watering
: to practice irrigation
A tensiometer (soil moisture probe), available at any garden center, helps take the guesswork out of irrigating.—
The Benicia (California) Herald
The Benicia (California) HeraldExamples of irrigate in a Sentence
The surgeon irrigated the wound.
if you get the chemical in your eye, irrigate the eye thoroughly with water
Recent Examples on the Web
Pascua Yaqui tribal leaders started work on a water pipeline that will irrigate ballfields and save drinking water for homes.
—Debra Utacia Krol, AZCentral.com, 18 Sep. 2025
After overseeding, irrigate 3 to 4 times a day for the first 7 to 10 days or until the seed germinates.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Sep. 2025
So the creekbed was designed to move the water across the front yard and guide it down to the street; any residual water can irrigate the plants.
—Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025
The Amu Darya was a primary source of water for the Aral Sea, which has largely dried up due to the diversion of its two main rivers (the Amu Darya and Syr Darya) to irrigate Soviet-era cotton fields.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for irrigate
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Debra Utacia Krol, AZCentral.com, 18 Sep. 2025
After overseeding, irrigate 3 to 4 times a day for the first 7 to 10 days or until the seed germinates.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Sep. 2025
So the creekbed was designed to move the water across the front yard and guide it down to the street; any residual water can irrigate the plants.
—Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025
The Amu Darya was a primary source of water for the Aral Sea, which has largely dried up due to the diversion of its two main rivers (the Amu Darya and Syr Darya) to irrigate Soviet-era cotton fields.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for irrigate
Cite this Entry
“Irrigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irrigate. Accessed 24 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
irrigate
verb
ir·ri·gate
ˈir-ə-ˌgāt
irrigated; irrigating
1
: to supply with water by artificial means
irrigate a field
irrigate crops
2
: to flush with a liquid
irrigate a wound
Medical Definition
irrigate
transitive verb
ir·ri·gate
ˈir-ə-ˌgāt
irrigated; irrigating
: to flush (a body part) with a stream of liquid
irrigate the wound with saline to remove debris
the eye was irrigated for 10 minutes following chemical exposure
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